Dude...you're thinking way too much about HOW to enjoy the game The only way to have fun is to start having fun.

Click on the icon, login, select a character and then do what your brain tells you is enjoyable. If you don't enjoy anything about the game it may just not be for you.

I got tired of my mesmer at lvl 76. I rerolled a warrior and now I'm having a blast. If I don't want to get 100% on a map, I just don't do it. If I don't feel like doing an escort DE, I run right by. Just do what you want and stop analyzing every little thing

Fact: You will have to settle for sub-optimal gear and grind for weeks/months to get the best gear and hit the power plateau. Yes, sadly ArenaNet lied to us. It was all pipe-dreams.

Look, I love the game... I wont stop playing the game. This is seriously the best MMO I've ever played in my life so I'm not bashing the game. But the reality is this... we were lied to, and people who haven't gotten to 80 yet needs to know what they should come to expect when they hit level 80.

There is a very real grind at max level to get to the power plateau. Prepare yourself from now. Don't hit level 80 and then get frustrated about it.

Thanks.

This isn't "grind". That term is so disgustingly overused it's just tossed in with anything now. Did you expect to hit 80 and have the best gear already given to you just like Guild Wars 1 where you can hit max level in a day (after Factions of course). The only grind I've seen is dungeon tokens to get gear pieces. If you're saying getting to level 80 is a grind, then I'd kindly like you to play EQ or Maple Story. Leveling in this game is NOT grind. The "power plateau" is just fine, heavens forbid that you might actually have to spend some time playing a game to get the best stuff. They didn't give the impression that you'd hit the power plateau immediately, they said that it's not going to be limited to one form of content to gain the best gear.

They understand people get annoyed grinding the same dungeon over and over, which is why theres overly difficult explorable mode. If you like to grind tokens, though, then theres that option for you. If you like crafting more, then you can get gear from that. If you're more into the lore, or exploring, you can get gear from that. You're not trapped into 1 form of content to get gear, which is why it isn't classified as a grind.

That trailer was just sooo silly. I get the meaning and blah blah blah. But it shows 100% the person who made it had no idea what Guild Wars 2 was or what it was about. They only had a tagline and "swords and sorcery" and were told "go!"

No way, this is the best mmo leveling I've ever experienced. I'm a pvp player through and through and I *ing HATE leveling, but gw2 has actually created something that I can tolerate and sometimes even enjoy. I'm tired of quest hubs and "bring me 15 zebra testicles for no reason" that somehow requires 60 zebra kills.

The gw2 zones feel much more immersive and quest activities actually make a little bit of sense, not to mention getting pleasantly sidetracked constantly by events, vistas, POIs, etc. I don't see how anyone could find this pve boring in comparison to that of almost any other mmo, but to each his own I guess.

Take into consideration that we've only seen the pre-30 content in beta and live. Look up an interview some of the devs did concerning how they saw the progression towards endgame, and you'll see them talking about how they kept the DEs pretty easy and cut and dry in the early zones, and then made them progressively more complex, with split event chains, later on. Orr is supposed to be a hell of an experience.

That being said, you can't expect dungeon style group coordination in public quests. You just can't. By it's very PUGish nature, anything too difficult will just end up with everyone frustrating and complaining that this or that player ruined it for everyone. Arenanet are not idiots, and even if they make some of these events tougher than others, they do so knowing that perfect strangers will be playing together. If you want really difficult content, that's what explorable mode dungeons are for. Grab four of your buddies, and spend a couple of hours afraid to blink.

Mind you, with that in mind, it's still MUCH more interesting than traditional MMO questing. Night and day here, guys. Events happen all around you without you having to trigger anything. It's immersive as hell. You can wander around and just stumble into a dozen players trying to take down this big troll. You don't have to click on any exclamation mark or accept a quest. You just jump in and do it! There's no kill stealing, no tagging of mobs, no seeing other players as competition. This is HUGE. After around 15 years of MMO gaming, the PVE experience is finally a shared one.

Lastly, and this is something a lot of players still don't know, *you don't have to stay till the end*. The game keeps track of your contribution in a dynamic event. So if you're getting bored, just leave and find another one. Once that first event ends, your xp bar will jack up automatically, even if you're all the way across the continent. In other words, just go and have fun. You don't have to keep doing stuff that's boring because you want to reach the end and be rewarded. You'll be rewarded regardless!

'Twas the night before Head Start, when all through the forum
Not a decent thread posted, to cure us of boredom
We open the Client with no time spare
In hopes character creation soon would be there
The clicking was endless, there was not a shame
As we wait to reserve our character names.
The Fanbois were nestled all snug in their seats
Sipping their Red Bull and eating good treats

When outside the window arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the computer to see what’s the matter.
When, what to my monitor hazed eyes should appear,
But a miniature Rytlock, and eight Asuran Engineers!

Along came his Heros, so lively and quick
Was Arenanet trolling me so soon with a trick?
Outrunning a Centaur as fast that they came
And Rytlock whistled, and roared, and called them by name;

Now, Eir! Now, Logan! Now, Zojja ! Now, Caithe!
Zaitan is upon us, there’s no time to waste!
The Airships depart, have haste and be quick!
Adventure Is upon us, and Dragon asses to kick!

As fast as my money went in the Gemshop
The Heros sprang away with no time to stop.
But I heard them exclaim, as they vanished out of sight,
"HAPPY HEADSTART TO ALL, AND PUT UP A GOOD FIGHT!”